Joshua Simelton

Published on Aug. 10, 2018

Aug. 10, 2018

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Randy Moss has accomplished a lot in his life and Hall of Fame NFL career.

But he hasn't been able to overcome hate.

Moss was recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and made waves on social media after television cameras got a close-up of the tie he was wearing during a live interview at Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

The black tie featured the names of 12 black men and women in gold lettering who were killed by police or died in police custody. It was Moss' way of shedding light on social injustice and those who've paid the price with their lives as a result.

"Sunday night, I’m driving home, I get a direct message on my Instagram from a police officer," Moss said, according to the report. "The police officer is telling me, ‘Hey, buddy, I disagree with the criminals that you have on your tie. They broke the law.’

"He’s telling me about all these criminals and thugs on my tie. Not all of them are criminals. Not all of them are thugs. Some were just kids. But, yeah, some broke the law. And they are considered criminals or thugs or whatever the hell you consider them. But people losing their lives all the time is not supposed to happen. It’s not what they deserved. What happened, and what happens so many times, is that … it’s just wrong. These people shouldn’t have lost their lives."

Moss mentioned he's "been dealing with racism my whole life" and referenced the vitriol he's received from people on websites.

"They’re saying, ‘You’re a dumb black jock. You just need to stick to playing football, n—.’ All of this hate mail I’m getting for wearing a tie and talking about the truth."

It doesn't appear current NFL players are done addressing social injustices either. During Thursday's preseason games, three Dolphins players protested during the national anthem before their preseason game against the Buccaneers.

The President responded to the protest Friday via Twitter, saying in part, "The NFL players are at it again … taking a knee when they should be standing proudly for the National Anthem."